Syria

• Syrian authorities say troops have begun pulling back from three areas – Deraaa, Idlib and Zabadani – but activists say attacks are continuing. A "major operation" has also been reported in the Damascus suburb of Douma with tanks shelling the area.

• International envoy Kofi Annan said violence is clearly continuing in Syria and the situation is "unacceptable". He called for a peaceful Syrian-led political solution through dialogue with "the whole spectrum of the Syrian opposition".

• An advance team of monitors sent by Kofi Annan has arrived in Damascus to discuss their full deployment (which would require a UN security council resolution).

• Russia has said it could support a UN security council motion on Syria backing Kofi Annan's peace plan if it doesn't contain ultimatums to Bashar al-Assad's government.

Lebanon

• Lebanese media are reporting that an attempt was made yesterday on the life of Samir Geagea, leader of the Lebanese Forces movement and a critic of the Syrian regime.

Libya

• The international criminal court has told Libyan authorities to hand over the former dictator's son, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, who is wanted in The Hague on charges of crimes against humanity.

Bahrain

• Members of a British delegation visiting Bahrain have spoken enthusiastically about developments in the kingdom and blamed the media for negative coverage.

Morocco

• The Moroccan government is reportedly planning to withhold pay from employees who join protests. Trade unions say the move would be illegal and at odds with the constitution which guarantees the right to protest.

4.38pm: Differing views over Syria have led to a growing rift between Turkey and Iran, Saeed Kamali Dehghan says in a report for the Guardian's Iran blog. The latest twist is that Iran's defence minister, General Ahmad Vahidi, claims the Friends of Syria conference held in Turkey last weekend served the interests of "the Zionist regime of Israel".

4.24pm:Bahrain: There's new support today for Bahrain's repressive rulers from David Wilshire, the former Conservative MP, who is visiting the kingdom with a British delegation. Quoted in the Gulf Daily News, he says:

"Whenever I come to Bahrain I see a change for the better and this time is no exception. No one is perfect – in my country, too, we have our share of problems. But the sad part is that the media picks on the bad things and does not focus elsewhere."

The paper says Wilshire described Bahrain as the most progressive country in the region:

"Take parliamentary elections, the rights of women or Bahrain's investment in its people - it is all very encouraging. We know there has been an uprising in Bahrain but to the credit of the authorities, they are trying to solve the problems and they are succeeding."

However, Wilshire's support is unlikely to boost Bahrain's "progressive" reputation. As a member of parliament in Britain he was noted for his reactionary views on gay rights and the minimum wage, among other things. He stepped down at the last election after becoming involved in a £100,000 expenses scandal.

Another member of the visiting delegation is Brigadier Peter Sincock, chairman of the Bahrain–British Friendship Society who was formerly a military attache at the British embassy in Saudi Arabia.

"The news in Bahrain is good and everything looks positive and encouraging," Sincock says. Like Wilshire, he complains about negative media coverage:

"Unfortunately, the media brings out only the bad news, which is a pity. It is like anywhere else in the world where the media is the same ... There is plenty of good news in Bahrain, which is never reported because the media does not look beyond the bad news."

3.48pm: Emad Mahou, a Syrian activist from Zabadani, currently in Jordan, said government claims of a partial withdrawal from Zabadani are untrue. Asked by the Guardian whether the Syrian army is pulling back from the mountain town, Mahou, from the Syrian Revolution Co-ordinators Union, said:

That's false. The tanks are still inside of Zabadani and in the mountains surrounding it. You cannot go in [to Zabadani] and you cannot go out. There are more than 5,000 soldiers inside Zabadani. They are holding Zabadani. The Free Syrian Army members are in the mountains and and carry out operations at night.

Despite the Syrian government's acceptance of the joint special envoy's (Annan's) plan of initial proposals to resolve the crisis, the violence and assaults in civilian areas have not stopped. The situation on the ground continues to deteriorate.

3.42pm: Annan says he has been told plans have been laid for the release of detainees within "a few weeks".

The six-point plan needs to be implemented fully and immediately, says Annan.

The UN-Arab League envoy says there are one million Syrians requiring humanitarian assistance.

Annan talks about the "unique character" of the violence in Syria.

A traditional peacekeeping mission standing between two armies would not work because there is "no frontline".

There must be a "nimble" team of monitors.

We must commence a comprehensive poltical dialogue between the Syrian government and the whole spectrum of the Syrian opposition, says Annan.

Progress has been made on improving inclusivity within the Syrian government but more needs to be done.

He continues:

I asks those states with influence on the parties to use it now to help bring about a cessation of violence.

He has welcomed the UN security council's statement supporting his peace plan.

There needs to be "a comprehensive political dialogue" between the Syrian government and a broad spectrum of the opposition, representing all of the Syrian people.

Annan says "clearly the violence is still continuing". The cessation of violence is the "most crucial part" of his six-point peace plan.

He says the government has informed him of partial withdrawals from Deraa, Idlib and Zabadani.

"More far-reaching action is immediately required," he says.

We must silence the tanks, helicopters, mortars he says. Sexual violence, forced displacements, violence against children must be stopped says Annan.

Annan says the government must complete its obligations to cease violence by 10 April and then the oppostion must cease all violence by 6am Damascus time on 12 April.

3.04pm: The Local Co-ordination Committees activist groups claims 17 people have been killed today in Idlib, which is one of threee areas Syrian authorities say their troops have begun withdrawing from.

The mountain resort town of Zabadani, north of Damascus, and Deraa are the other two.But Mohammed Fares, an activist in Zabadani, told AP:

The LCC says 14 people have been killed in Homs so far today, out of a total of 43 across the country, including five children. Its reports cannot be independently verified.

2.53pm:Morocco: The Moroccan government is planning to withhold pay from employees who join protests, the Maghabrebia website reports. Trade unions say the move would be illegal and that it is at odds with the constitution which guarantees the right to protest.

The decision to cut off wages so as to curb syndicate action is a step backwards in terms of the government's discourse which promises democracy ...

Threatening to cut off the pay will not succeed in killing off protests for housing or the soaring cost of water, power, etc, or the protests of the unemployed. What will the government cut off from those who have no pay to begin with?

2.35pm: The UN security council has agreed to a statement calling upon Syria to comply with a 10 April deadline (although the "deadline" appears to offer leeway of 48 hours) to halt fighting and withdraw its forces from Syrian population centres.

The deadline was set by the UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan.

2.10pm: More than 14,500 Syrians have now fled to Lebanon, Derek Plumbly, the UN special coordinator in Beirut said today. According to the UNHCR, more than 8,500 displaced Syrians have been registered in north Lebanon and a further 6,000 are receiving support in the Bekaa.

Plumbly said: "The cooperation between the UN, led by UNHCR, and the Lebanese authorities under the auspices of the High Relief Council in providing assistance to the displaced, continues to work well."

Commenting on his meeting today with the Lebanese interior minister, Marwan Charbel, he said:

I expressed my concern about the reported attempt yesterday on Mr Samir Geagea, the leader of the Lebanese Forces party. Thankfully nobody was injured. But the incident underlines the need for vigilance.

It is important that the investigation now takes its course and that all sides in Lebanon continue to exert every effort to ensure that the situation remains secure and stable.

1.40pm: ICRC spokesman Sean Maguire has provided some more background on the statement just issued (see 1.23pm) and what it is likely to mean in practice. He recalls that Kellenberger's visit to Damascus had three key objectives:

• To expand humanitarian action;

• To gain access to detainees;

• To secure agreement to a daily pause in fighting, where needed.

Maguire continues:

The Syrian authorities have agreed that the ICRC can soon visit Aleppo Central Prison. The Syrian government has agreed to ICRC standard working modalities (procedures) regarding detention; the visit process is to start soon.

The expansion of ICRC presence and activities in Syria will begin end April/early May. It involves the expansion of humanitarian activities within the country to include other areas where there is need and where assistance might be required. It also means an increase in human and logistical resources. This is necessary to respond to the increasing demand and needs of the population in various parts of the country, particularly in the areas of unrest. The expansion also involves increasing support to the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to strengthen its capacity and expand its operations.

With regard to the daily ceasefire, there is now a trigger mechanism that would activate the humanitarian pause when the need arises. In areas where there is a need to evacuate the sick and the wounded and deliver humanitarian assistance, the ICRC will ask the Foreign Ministry to activate the pause (ceasefire). While this was agreed with the Syrian government during the ICRC president's visit it has not yet been tested on the ground.

1.23pm: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has just issued a statement about the talks held in Damascus yesterday between ICRC president Jakob Kellenberger and senior Syrian officials. The statement says:

The Syrian government agreed to an expanded presence of the ICRC in the country. "This means that we will have to rapidly build up our human resources and logistical capacity in Syria," said Mr Kellenberger.

"This agreement is a sign of trust in the ICRC's independent and neutral humanitarian action," said Mr Kellenberger. "It should enable the ICRC and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to meet increased humanitarian needs."

A procedure on how to trigger the humanitarian pause requested by the ICRC for areas affected by fighting was also agreed between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates and the ICRC.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates agreed on procedures for visits to places of detention. The agreement will be put into practice with an ICRC visit to people held in Aleppo Central Prison.

Detention issues were also discussed with the minister of the interior, Major-General Mohammad al-Sha'ar.

Discussions with the minister of health, Dr Wa'el al-Halki, focused entirely on the right of the wounded and the sick to have access to medical care and on the obligation of all involved in the violence to respect medical personnel, facilities and transports.

Syria

• Syrian authorities claim that troops have begun pulling back from three areas – Deraaa, Idlib and Zabadani – but activists say attacks are continuing, including in Idlib, where they say seven people have been killed by government forces. A "major operation" with tanks shelling the area has also been reported in the Damascus suburb of Douma. The Local Co-ordination Committees activist group says that Homs has taken the heaviest casualties with 14 people killed. Activists reports cannot be independently verified. The team of UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan's said it was trying to verify the Syrian government's claim that some troops had begun withdrawing.

• An advance team of monitors sent by Kofi Annan to discuss their full deployment, which requires a UN security council resolution has arrived in Damascus. The mission is being led by senior UN peacekeeper Norwegian army former chief of staff Major General Robert Mood. UN member states are being asked to provide troops for a ceasefire monitoring mission, to be deployed in Syria after 10 April.

• The deadline for a ceasefire under Annan's peace plan, originally set for 10 April, has effectively been extended until 12 April, after the envoy's spokesman said both parties would have 48 hours from that date to end hostilities.

• The French foreign minister, Alain Juppe has accused Bashar al-Assad lying by pretending to be committed to Kofi Annan's peace plan. "Can we be optimistic or not?" he said. "I am not, because I think Bashar al-Assad is tricking us. He is pretending to accept Kofi Annan's 6-point plan while at the same time still using force."

• Russia has said it could support a UN security council motion on Syria backing Kofi Annan's peace plan if it doesn't contain ultimatums to Bashar al-Assad's government. But foreign minister Sergey Lavrov warned the Friends of Syria group against arming the Syrian opposition.

Lebanon

• An attempt was made yesterday on the life of Samir Geagea, leader of the Lebanese Forces movement (the main Christian party in the "March 14" anti-Syrian parliamentary bloc), according to news reports. Last month, Geagea criticised the Maronite patriarch, Beshara Rai, for describing Syria as the closest country to democracy in the region. "Practically speaking, the patriarch is defending this regime in Syria that we oppose," Geagea said.

Libya

• The international criminal court has told Libyan authorities to surrender former dictator Muammar Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, who is wanted in The Hague for crimes against humanity. In a written ruling published on Wednesday, judges at the ICC rejected a request by Libya to postpone handing over Saif and urged the country's rulers to "proceed immediately with the surrender".

12.33pm: More from Idlib, where troops have begun pulling back, according to the Syrian authorities.

More than 1,600 Syrians have fled to Turkey in the last two days, Turkish authorities said. Activists say this is to escape Syrian army shelling of villages near the northern towns of Idlib and Aleppo.

The LCC claims at least 20 houses in Tafes, Idlib, were set on fire on Wednesday. It has listed the names of the householders and has provided video of some, including this one.

An Arab League tribunal ... could have Arab judges, Arab prosecutors, Arab investigators and Arab defence attorneys and conduct its proceedings in Arabic. The Arab League could give it jurisdiction over crimes against humanity and war crimes as the treaty for the International Criminal Court defines them.

And such a court should have jurisdiction over all crimes, including those committed by rebels. It is essential to uphold the principle that, no matter the justice of the cause or the crimes committed by one's opponents, all must be held to the same standards.

He also suggests that such a tribunal could give priority to crimes committed after the date it is established:

That would put the forces of Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, on notice that the surest way to end up in the dock is to persist in the crimes they have been committing.

We should not grant them impunity for crimes committed up to now. But the urgent need to prevent further atrocities justifies giving them an incentive to stop.

11.56am: The French foreign minister, Alain Juppe, has accused Bashar al-Assad lying by pretending to be committed to Kofi Annan's peace plan, citing continued reports of violence. He said:

Can we be optimistic or not? I am not, because I think Bashar al-Assad is tricking us. He is pretending to accept Kofi Annan's 6-point plan while at the same time still using force.

The loyalist Sunni backlash, once seen as a card played by the authorities, may now upset even any royal hopes of opening a dialogue to calm a conflict that has shredded Bahrain's social cohesion and cost its tourism- and banking-based economy dearly.

While Sunni hardliners are divided among themselves, some have begun to articulate grievances about corruption, access to housing, and suspected government efforts to alter Bahrain's demography that mirror those of the Shia they revile ...

In social media, Shia and protesters are attacked as "monkeys", "traitors" and "followers of Iran", picking up a frequent charge that politicised Shia are pawns of the Islamic Republic ...

In the northern, mainly Sunni, district of Muharraq, al-Qaida slogans are among the graffiti on some walls and a large poster outside a Sunni Islamist party's headquarters depicts a donkey with the caption: "I'm going to dialogue!"

Hardcore Sunnis are alarmed by talks that the powerful royal court minister has held in recent weeks with the leading Shia party Wefaq and secular opposition groups on a possible dialogue to halt turmoil ...

"The worst thing is happening now in Bahrain, that the state is flirting with the followers of the Safavids," wrote Sunni Islamist Mohammed Khalid on Twitter, using the name of a 16th century Persian dynasty to refer to Iran and Shia. "The Sunnis are on the point of exploding."

11.50am: As the Syrian authorities claim that troops have begun withdrawing from Deraa, Idlib and Zabadani, the Local Co-ordination Committees activist group claims that 27 people have been killed so far today, including seven in Idlib.

The LCC says 14 people have been killed in Homs and three each in Hama and Douma, where activists have reported a "major operation".

The LCC's reports cannot be independently verified, while Kofi Annan's team says it is trying to verify reports that Syrian troops have begun pulling back.

11.36am: Last Friday's protests in Syria were dedicated to the opposition's disappointment over the response to the bloodshed in the country by Muslims and Arabs. One of the opposition groups has now made a highly emotive comparison - especially for Muslims - by claiming that what is happening in Homs is "more atrocious that what happened in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica".

In a statement titled Homsenica, the Revolutionary Council of Homs claims that "ethnic cleansing" in Homs has displaced more than 500,000 people, whereas between 50,000 and 80,000 Bosnians Muslims were forced out of Srebrenica .

Around 8,000 Muslim males were killed in the Srebrencia massacre, making it the worst act of mass murder in Europe committed since the second world war.

Dima Moussa, from the Revolutionary Council of Homs, said:

What has happened in the last two months – February and March of 2012 – is that nearly half a million people who live in predominantly Sunni neighbourhoods near ...Alawite neighborhoods, were forced to leave their homes. This came after the residents witnessed atrocious crimes including slaughtering women and children; burning and abusing dead bodies; group-raping women and little girls, some of whom under the age of 12; terrorising the residents with heavy bombing and destroying their homes on top of them; cutting off water, electricity, and communications; and preventing food and medicine from reaching these neighbourhoods.

After the residents left their homes, the regime immediately brought loyalist Alawite and Shia families to live in the homes that belong to mostly Sunni families. The regime's thugs then looted the other homes that remained unoccupied and robbed their contents in an organised manner, and then they set the homes on fire.

11.24am: Kofi Annan is to travel to Tehran on 10 April for talks with senior Iranian officials on Syria, his spokesman has said.

Iran is Syria's key regional ally and has been accused by the opposition of helping the Assad regime to suppress protests.

Burning and shelling of shops after looting them, and a large number of buildings were damaged from the shelling. Sound of gunfire and explosions are still heard

It has also posted a video (warning: graphic) of Al-Haaj Abu Subhi Al-Darra, who it says was killed in Douma today.

11.08am:Lebanon: There are reports of an attempt yesterday to assassinate Samir Geagea, leader of the Lebanese Forces movement (the main Christian party in the "March 14" anti-Syrian parliamentary bloc).

"Shots were fired by snipers [at me] and it seems that there was more than one [gunman]," Geagea said during a press conference, in reference to the gunfire that targeted his Maarab residence earlier on Wednesday.

"I was strolling with the [bodyguards] and noticed a beautiful flower so I bent down to pick it. Then I heard two loud shots… and stayed down for a while," Geagea said.

Geagea added that bullets punctured the wall of his residence while he was walking outside accompanied by bodyguards.

The LF leader drew parallels between the incident and the 2005 assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri, adding that the event fell within the context of the series of assassinations that plagued the country "for 40 years."

Last month, Geagea criticised the Maronite patriarch, Beshara Rai, for describing Syria as the closest country to democracy in the region. "Practically speaking, the patriarch is defending this regime in Syria that we oppose," Geagea said.

In an article for The National today, Michael Young discusses Geagea's recent political manoeuvrings and says he has "sought to sharply differentiate himself from two other prominent Christian public figures" in Lebanon and also to appeal to the Sunni community through support for the uprising in Syria against President Assad.

10.57am: Annan's spokesman, Ahmad Fawzi, has told a news conference in Geneva that the Syrian authorities have told the UN-Arab League envoy that they have begun withdrawing troops from three areas. Fawzi said:

Yes they have told us that they have begun withdrawing troops from certain areas. They have specified three cities - Deraa, Idlib and Zabadani.

Fawzi also said that UN member states were being asked to provide troops to a ceasefire monitoring mission, to be deployed in Syria after 10 April.

An advance team, sent by Annan, led by senior UN peacekeeper Norwegian army former chief of staff Major General Robert Mood, is due to arrive in Damascus today to begin discussing their deployment, which requires a UN security council resolution.

10.44am: Despite the claims of troop withdrawals, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims "a major operation" is under way in the Damascus suburb of Douma, with tanks shelling the area and clashes between troops and army defectors.

Douma-based activist Mohammed Saeed said the operation is "one of the most violent campaigns against the area" since the uprising against the Assad regime began in March last year.

10.43am: Kofi Annan's spokesman says the Syria government claims it has begun troop withdrawals in some areas. Annan's spokesman said they are trying to verify this.

He also said that the ceasefire is expected to begin no later than 48 hours after 10 April.

To all intents and purposes, that sounds like an extension of the deadline to 12 April.

It would be a bad state of affairs, and bad for Formula One, to be seen to be enforcing martial law in order to hold the race. That is not what this sport should be about. Looking at it today you'd have to say that [the race] could be creating more problems than it's solving.

Photograph: Maxim Shipenkov/EPA

10.27am: Russia could support a UN security council motion on Syria backing Kofi Annan's peace plan if it doesn't contain ultimatums to Bashar al-Assad's government, the Russian foreign minister has said.

Sergey Lavrov (left) said on a trip to Kyrgyzstan:

When we consider a document at the security council, we shall proceed from the principle of not doing any harm. It would be good if we are able to reach a consensus aimed at helping Kofi Annan's mission and not use ultimatums that would escalate tensions ...

Russia believes that any steps regarding the Syrian problem should be aimed exclusively at supporting Annan's mission. It's very important not to undermine this process with ultimatums or threats. Regrettably, some are willing to do that ...

While Kofi Annan has insisted on the demilitarization of cities, statements coming from Istanbul have sent a different signal to the opposition.

10.05am:Tunisia: Two atheists have been sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in jail and fined 1,200 dinars ($800) for "disturbing the public order" and "transgressing morality" with their anti-religious views. According to Tunisia Live, the charges relate to caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad posted on Facebook.

One of the convicted men, Ghazi Beji, has fled to Greece but the other, Jabeur Mejri, is imprisoned in Tunisia. Two human rights organisations in the country have taken up their case and a petition has been launched on the internet.

The website atheistica.com has more information about Beji and Mejri's background.

Suleiman refused to discuss the issue of sectarianism when asked by Issa. But she reiterated that the army defectors should only use force to protect protesters. Here are the details of the interview:

What is your aim in coming to Paris?

Firstly, I wish to return to Syria, as I want to be with my people, however my main aim in Paris is to make the people of the world wake up because all the people are hostages to the politicians and the machine. By the machine I mean the systems of life, the people are apathetic and need to be woken up to what is going on in Syria and how we need to take action to help the Syrian people

What needs to happen to improve the situation in Syria?

I think the priority is to establish and support a security council made of defected officers and to declare an honorary agreement that should say their goal is to defend the protestors and civilians. They should also try to convince armed civilians to put down their weapons because we need to keep our revolution peaceful. I am against arming the revolution, this will lead to civil war. They should also try to include these de armed civilians in the new security council for Syria, to work towards a political solution.

Can the international community do more?

The international community must say that those leading the war in Syria must be considered war criminals and brought to justice.

What is you reaction to the Kofi Annan Plan?

It is a very important step. I think that the regime and opposition must apply this because its very important to stop the violence in Syria, because as long as the violence exists we can not have dialogue for a political solution in Syria.

When I asked her about a sectarian war in Syria she said she did not want to talk about this presently.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says troops are clashing with rebel army defectors in the northern towns of Hraytan and Anadan near Aleppo.The Observatory also reported fighting in the Damascus suburb of Douma and the southern village of Kfar Shams.

Mohammed Abu Nasr, an activist in Hraytan, said the town of about 50,000 was subjected to intense shelling by tanks and helicopters since 5am (6am BST). He added that a ground offensive began three hours later and hundreds of troops were pushing their way into the town.

"There are wounded people in the streets that we cannot reach because of the shelling," Abu Nasr said by telephone. "The situation is catastrophic in the city. Large numbers of people are fleeing."

• Between 800 and 900 Syrian refugees fled to Turkey from Syria in the past 24 hours, a Turkish official told Reuters. "There has been an increased flow through Reyhanli and the number was 800 to 900 yesterday," the official said, referring to a border town in Turkey's southern Hatay province. There are now close to 21,000 Syrian refugees living in several camps in Hatay and in the neighbouring Turkish province of Gaziantep.

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on its Twitter account that the Syrian foreign minister, Walid al-Moallem, would hold talks in Moscow with his counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, on Tuesday — the deadline for compliance with the initial phase of Mr. Annan's cease-fire plan — and that representatives of the National Coordination Committee, an opposition group inside Syria, would visit the Kremlin for talks 17-18 April.

Lavrov ...admonished the so-called "Friends of Syria" group of anti-Assad countries, which met in Turkey with exile Syrian opposition groups this past weekend, not to provide weapons to rebel combatants, as some of those countries have suggested.

"Even if the Syrian opposition were armed to the teeth, it would not be able to beat the government's forces," Mr. Lavrov said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies.